Hi, Cathal from Kildare, Ireland here. Am organising a trip for a group of 15-20 lads to Germany and we've narrowed it down to Cologne and Dusseldorf. Has anyone been to both cities, would they recommend one more highly than the other? This is purely a beer/watch some sports weekend, so I don't need to know which city has more historical sight to see! Also, it's pretty mixed group in terms of people who will try different beers or others who will look out for a more well-known brand. So basially, which city is more craic?!!
You may want to redirect this question to the Germany Forum, many experienced residents and travelers over there. BTW -- Craic translates to Gemütlichkeit in German.
You can hub in one and take the train to the other (I think it's 30 minutes or so). The alstadt in Dusseldorf is pretty cool - all the Altbier breweries are walking distance from one another. Guess it really depends if you want to drink Altbier or Kolsch if you have to pick one over the other. I'm assuming you're flying into Dusseldorf?
Different but very cool dynamics in both cities -- especially now during Karnivalsaison. More of a party atmosphere in Cologne, probably, so if you are looking for that, then stay there. But either way I'd definitely visit both cities. Maybe a full day in each hitting the brewery tap houses (of which there are more than a dozen in Cologne and around 7-8 in Duesseldorf). Favorites in the former are Paeffgen, Pfaffen (sometimes), Frueh, and Malzmuehle and in the latter Schumacher, Schluessel, Fuechschen, and Uerige.
nailed it, minus the Früh We just did a day in both, lots of fun. Check the German forum for the write up on the trip.
There's more to see in Köln, which is why I prefer Düsseldorf - nothing to distract from the drinking. Here's a good story on Düsseldorf from a while back: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/travel/36-hours-in-dusseldorf-germany.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
No offense, but with 15-20 Irishmen out boozing and watching sports, lots can go wrong from lots of aspects. Unless all are into subtle Kölsch nuances or roasty bitter Altbiers, you're probably just best off heading into the Altstadt of either town. More craic? Köln by 3 furlongs.
Man, now I want to take a trip to Koln and Dusseldorf. I've been to Munich before but these places look great. I wonder if I can swing a couple of days each in London, Brugge and Germany. I know its a lot to squeeze in.
I liked Koln, as a city, but as for the beer, i am not very much into kolsch type. I tasted Pfaffen, Fruh and Gaffel brands. Pfaffen was the one o found more pleasant. An interesting thing is that in Munich they use to drink beer in 0,5 or 1 liter glasses, since they say you do not have to drink it cold to appreciate the flavor. In Koln, they say the advantage of having small beer glasses ( less than 0,3 l) is that you have your beer always cold and fresh.
I had my stag weekend in Dusseldorf and Cologne and it was amazing. They are only 20 minutes apart by train, so you can easily stop in one city and visit the other for the day. I would say Dusseldorf has a slightly more 'laddish' vibe, as all the bars in the Aldstadt are really close together, a mix of traditional brauhauses and standard bars serving lagers with music, etc. It has to be said though, there is nothing to do in Dusseldorf except boozing and watching football (which are very worthwhile things to do!). Cologne has more historical things to look at and the cathedral is breathtaking. The Kolsch brauhauses are a bit more spread out, but there is a big square near the river with a good concentration of bars which could easily keep you busy all night. So my advice: try to go to both in the same weekend. Just don't ask for a Kolsch in Dusseldorf, or an Alt in Cologne.
